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Mysuru gang rape: 7th accused nabbed in TN after a fortnight

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Rape

Karnataka police probing the Mysuru gang rape have arrested the seventh accused in the case, the police sources said on Wednesday.

The accused will be produced before a court and his custody will be sought for further investigations.

The accused was picked from Tamil Nadu late Tuesday. The police department had deputed a special team to nab him based on the clues by other co-accused. The 7th accused had switched off his mobile and disappeared after the August 24 crime at an isolated place near the foothills of Chamundi hills.

The police officers stationed in Tamil Nadu had kept a close tab on his relatives, family members and friends and finally a fortnight after the incident managed to secure him.

The other six accused have already been produced before the 3rd JMFC court on Tuesday as their 10-day police custody ended.

The court has remanded five accused persons to 14-day judicial custody. The accused have been sent to Mysuru central jail, while a minor accused was sent to a juvenile home.

The police sources said the victim is yet to record her statements regarding the incident, given her traumatised condition.

The Congress party has decided to raise the issue in the upcoming assembly session after it completed its own parallel probe into the incident and came up with 19 recommendations.

The committee headed by former MP V.S. Ugrappa has demanded that the police department should record the statement of the victim immediately and in case of rejection, legal action should be initiated against her under IPC section 202. The speedy investigations have to be taken up and accused should be paraded before the victim. Charge sheet has to be filed before the court on time and accused should be punished within a span of 5 months.

The government should come with a law for holding jurisdictional district commissioner and superintendent of police responsible in such cases. The party also demanded the resignation of Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for failing to prevent the crime.

The incident took place on August 24 evening, when the victim had gone to an isolated place near the foothills of Chamundi hills along with her male friend. The accused, who had noticed couple frequenting the area, took them hostage and demanded Rs 3 lakh ransom.

When they failed to give the money, the accused took turns to rape the victim. They also assaulted the male friend. The accused had forced the youth to call his family for money. The family members rushed to the spot and shifted the victim and her friend to a hospital.

The case made national headlines and the state police department came under intense pressure. Protests broke out all over the state demanding the arrest of the accused. The police managed to arrest 5 accused rapists within 84 hours of the incident and have now taken the other 2 accused persons also into custody.

The victim, who is under trauma is yet to record her statement and the government has stated that it will not force her for the statement until she is in a condition to speak. The police department claimed that the victim will cooperate as the investigation progresses. She has already identified her attackers from photographs.

Crime

‘Rise against your govt, army for encouraging terrorism,’ Sunni cleric’s appeal to Pakistanis

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Lucknow, April 24: In a strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, senior Sunni cleric and Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, on Thursday called on the people of Pakistan to rise against their government and military for facilitating acts of terror on Indian soil.

The remarks come after 26 people, most of them tourists, were gunned down in a brutal targeted terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam on Tuesday.

The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based terror outfit and offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba, is suspected to be behind the massacre.

Speaking to Media, Firangi Mahali said, “The people of Pakistan should understand that no one will support such activities. They should raise their voices against their own government and army, which are encouraging these acts of terrorism.”

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced a series of stringent measures in response to the attack.

These include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari-Wagah border, cancellation of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, expulsion of Pakistan’s military attaches from New Delhi and a reduction in diplomatic staff at both High Commissions.

Calling these actions “necessary and timely,” Firangi Mahali stated, “The horrific incident of terrorism in Pahalgam has been condemned in the harshest terms. This tragic event has shaken the entire country. The steps taken by the Government of India — whether on the water agreement, diplomatic expulsions, or visa cancellations — are absolutely appropriate.”

Appealing for national unity, he urged political parties to come together on a single platform in support of the government’s decisions.

“This is not the time for political division. All parties must stand united so that a positive image of national solidarity is conveyed internationally,” he said.

The cleric also warned against communalising the tragedy. “My appeal to fellow Indians is not to view this terror incident through a religious lens. No religion condones violence or terrorism,” he said.

“Some of the posts circulating on social media are sending out a very negative message. In this hour of crisis, every Indian — regardless of religion or political affiliation — must stand together,” he added.

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Security forces release sketches, photos of terrorists who carried out Pahalgam attack

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Srinagar, April 23: Security forces on Wednesday released a photograph and sketches of terrorists suspected to be responsible for the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians were killed and several others were injured on Tuesday.

Three terrorists suspected to have carried out the dastardly attack have been identified as Asif Fuji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha.

The attackers, believed to be members of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), opened fire on tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam area, 6 kms away from Pahalgam town.

Security forces said at least five to six terrorists, wearing camouflage outfits and kurta pyjamas, came to Baisaran meadow from the dense pine forest surrounding the Baisaran meadow and opened fire with AK-47 rifles.

The group included Pakistani terrorists, who infiltrated the Valley just days before the attack, Intelligence sources said.

Intelligence agencies have identified Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, a top LeT commander, as the mastermind behind the massacre.

Security forces have launched a massive anti-terror operation and deployed helicopters to spot the terrorists who took advantage of the forest cover to flee the spot.

Preliminary forensic analysis and testimonies of survivors indicate that the terrorists used military grade weapons and advanced communication devices, which indicates definite external logistical support.

The probe also found that the terrorists wore body cams and helmet-mounted cameras to record the entire sequence of events.

The attackers came with full preparation and had stocked up dry fruits and medicines.

Sources said the terrorists also did a recce of Pahalgam with the help of some locals.

Eyewitnesses said that while two terrorists spoke in Pashto (indicating Pakistani origin), two of them were locals (Adil and Asif). The local terrorists are from Bijbhera and Tral.

The precision and planning of the attack also points to the involvement of trained handlers and not local amateurs.

According to Intelligence sources, digital footprints of the attackers were traced to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, strengthening cross-border terror link evidence.

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Crime

WBSSC recruitment: Calcutta HC to hear contempt petition against Bengal govt today

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Kolkata, April 23: The Calcutta High Court will hear the contempt petition against the West Bengal government in connection with the cash for job case on Wednesday.

The Calcutta High Court’s divisional bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi will hear the contempt petition against the state government for failing to implement the Supreme Court’s order.

The state government is supposed to tell the court why it is taking so long to implement the Supreme Court’s order.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also supposed to clarify to the same division bench on why their investigating officials have not yet completed the process of interrogation of those candidates who have already been identified as “tainted”.

Notably, the job losers’ protest in front of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office continued for the third day on Wednesday. They are seeking the publication of lists segregating “genuine” and “tainted” candidates.

In a major development, the protesters allowed WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, stuck in his office for the last 45 hours as all the entry and exit gates of the commission’s office were blocked since the beginning of their protests, to leave the office on Wednesday morning.

Last year, the bench had cancelled 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs, which is the entire panel of WBSSC for 2016. The state government approached the Supreme Court challenging the order.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court division bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld the order of the Calcutta High Court last year and also accepted the observation that the entire panel had to be cancelled because of the state government and the commission’s failure to segregate the “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones.

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